From the R-word to Christopher Columbus

WatchCut Video, a weekly series on YouTube, recently featured Native Americans in five episodes. The participants in the videos were asked to do word associations. They were asked to describe the R-word, Christopher Columbus, Reservation, Thanksgiving, and Language using just one word.

The first video has Natives respond to the R-word. Responses included “derogatory,” “outdated,” “profiling,” and “racist.

One Word – Episode 24: Redskin (Native Americans)

The second word Natives responded to was “Christopher Columbus.” Some words used in the video were “evil,” “invader,” “ignorance,” “rapist,” “murderer,” and “genocide.”

One Word – Episode 25: Christopher Columbus (Native Americans)

The next word given to the group was “reservation.” Responses included “bleak,” “oppression,” “small,” and “sad.”

One Word – Episode 26: Reservation (Native Americans)

“Thanksgiving” was the next word the group had to associate. The day was described as “inaccurate,” “colonization,” and “lies,” but many of the respondents said “family.”

One Word – Episode 27: Thanksgiving (Native Americans)

Finally, what did the Native participants say when asked to associate the word “language?” Some of the responses included “important,” “vital,” “sacred,” “culture,” and “forgotten.”